Keystone
by scarlettHuntress
Summary: AU SXC In a world where King ShinRa cares nothing for his people, he sends the idle General out to investigate mysterious reports, on a superstitious whim. Sephiroth and Zack must seek out a certain blonde boy to fight against humanity's most dire threat.
1. I don't do relevant chapter titles

_Disclaimer: Repeat after me- I DO NOT OWN FF7._

Mako, Water, Land, Iron.

What do all these things have in common, I ask you?

And hopefully, the scholar inside you will reply that all four things are commodities currently in demand during this war ShinRa is insistent doesn't exist.

But that's not what both sides need.

More important? It's lives.

It's really the driving force.

You see, the ShinRa Empire is divided into several manageable sectors. Each is ruled by an Earl, whom is expected to rule over a couple of hundred thousand villagers with the help of payments from the King. Interestingly enough, the fact that most fail miserably, thus letting precious lives wither and die, is ignored. The worst failure is one disgusting specimen of a man known only as 'Hojo'. This cockroach leaves his sector in squalor and instead uses the gil granted to him to partake in his favorite hobby- playing god. He pulls random lives off the street and performs inhumane experiments on him, or so Vincent tells me (and I would take his word as truth over any one else I know). These abominations of nature (released into the wild when Hojo is finished with them) are what we are fighting against.

This is also where I come in.

You see, seventeen-ish years ago, an malnourished blonde woman late into her third trimester of pregnancy stumbled into an isolated temple of questionable purposes after leaving a village of people with nothing but scorn for women carrying bastard babies.

She died in childbirth a week later, but I survived- I being the newborn, for those out there that couldn't connect the dots.

So, I was raised surrounded by stuffy monks whom I found incredibly boring. So, I would practice sword fighting with sticks in the courtyard, modeled off what I had read in outdated books from a musty out-of-the-way library, in between boring lectures about something-or-rather. Because really, there was no place for an adventurous seven-year old in a temple.

At about eleven, something small with spindly legs and gnashing needle teeth (I later learned that this was no doubt one of Hojo's earlier creations, from before he started on humans) managed to get into the main prayer room and was terrorizing the old men who were truly scared out of their wits (which was quite entertaining, considering the thing was the size of a rabbit). I threw a cast-iron incense pot at the thing, killing it instantly. The priests declared me a great warrior (or great cannon fodder) dug a rusting sword out of a more dubious room in the temple and told me to kill six other scaly things running around the rice fields. As the things were about as bright as a candle, they weren't exactly a challenge for a few well-aimed strikes.

The conclusion to my little adventure was that the more boring part of my day spent listening to dreary monks was no longer, and instead I was sent out to 'patrol the borders' AKA keep a couple of old men safe, and out of their hair (or what hair they had). Being the soul member of the temple's guard suited me just fine, for although I enjoyed literature, I had no taste for the type of thing I was encouraged.

Over the next two years I defended the temple against the occasional monster, and with the aid of no doubt forbidden weaponry textbooks and all day to practice, my skill improved considerably.

My thirteenth year was when I found Vincent. I'd tell you about how I found him lying in a ditch, soaked in his own blood or how he had some startling physical attributes, but it's not really my place to say. What is relevant, however, is that I convinced the temple to 'adopt' him to help me defend the place, and that he is now my best, and only friend.

Anyway, back to the story. During the next year or so, a small village started growing around the temple's boundaries as small families evacuated here to escape roaming monsters. The monks were only too happy to enlighten these newcomers, who in return helped extend the priests diet from rice and simple vegetables.

When I questioned why these people where coming to us, Vincent explained the mechanics of ShinRa to me, and how Hojo's monstrosities were life-threatening to simple serfs, and how I and him were the only defenses against the threat apart from the elite army that King ShinRa was not willing to use to defend such trivial things as peasants.

And so the town of Keystone, with a temple at the centre and two of the stongest warriors among the villages in the area, became known.

And sometimes fame really isn't a good thing, especially when the very place you're defending is rumored to have an artifact hidden inside, is it?

I guess we'll just have to see where this life leads us, I guess!

END-OF-CHAPTER+

_So. This is my latest brainchild. It may sound boring right now, but hopefully you'll be able to wait the gods-know-when wait for the next chapter- this is my secondary fic right now. But I do promise to update some time this year sweatdrop, But I'm in second-last year of high-school right now and it's pretty full on. But I do plan on completing this!_

_Although I cannot promise you an updating date, I can tell you these things, which this fic will have-_

_PLOT (OMG RLY!)_

_Yaoi- Romance of the SephirothXCloud type, EVENTUALLY_

_Vampires (YAY)_

_Tifa-bashing (perhaps, if I can put up with her)_

_And AU-ness._

**UPDATE TIMES ARE SHORTENED BY REVIEWS!**

**...And really, does it take that long to review? Please just take a moment to feed the author, here! Even if you do hate it!**


	2. Why don't many FF games have moombas?

KEYSTONE CHAP 2

Sephiroth slammed his fists down on the dark oak desk, sending the various trinkets skittering off the edge. "He _what_?!"

The King gulped, sinking further into his chair. "Yes, I do think Hojo has taken it too far, General..."

"Taken it too far? My liege, this is an outrage! He is openly defying you!"

"Well Sephiroth, I didn't know you cared!" Scarlet purred from her place at the doorway.

"Duchess, how nice of you to join us." The king greeted her warmly, figuratively scrabbling for his lost dignity.

"King Shinra, I wouldn't miss this for the planet! Hojo is easily this most horrible person on the face of the planet... oh my apologies, did I say person?" She breezily stated.

"It is rare I agree with you Scarlet, but here we are." Sephiroth murmured in assent. "Hojo is a disgusting creature that does not deserve life,"

Scarlet tutted. "To say such things about one's fa-"

"_That **thing** is not my father_" Growled out Sephiroth tensely.

"So uh..." The man next to Sephiroth muttered, "Do we just kill him or what?"

"And who do you think you are, Insolent child!" Scarlet screeched, noticing him for the first time.

"The man is my second-in-command" Sephiroth replied coolly at the same time as the man in question said "Zachary Fair, Ma'am!" with a grin unfazed by her manners.

Only slightly embarrassed, Scarlet turned to the King. "Is that what you wish for them to do, your Highness? Eradicate him?"

"It won't be that simple. Hojo has created himself an army." Shinra sighed.

Zack's face had confusion written all over it as the other two paled considerably.

"Huh, I don't understand... How could Hojo of all people encourage serfs to fight?"

"Hojo is a scientist. If he created an army, then it's an army of things that weren't intended that way by nature. Mostly he uses citizens as his subjects," Sephiroth told him tiredly as Scarlet tried to not gag.

"Wait you mean...Ugh!" Zack was instantly and suitably horrified by this revelation.

Shinra tutted. "Now I'm glad we're all on the same page,"

Sephiroth caught him with a piercing glare. "How do you expect me to fight against inhuman beasts? Even my SOLDIERS will be torn apart by those _things_ Hojo creates!"

The King waved a piece of parchment in the air proudly, like it was an ancient relic. "I've been getting reports," He told his audience in a confidential whisper.

'_I should like to think so_', Thought Zack, '_I mean, he is the _king!'

Turning back to the conversation at hand, he put his best 'I am paying attention' face on. Sephiroth eyed him accusingly, knowing the man retained information like a cotton bag retained water.

"A town's grown around this temple, and you know it's probably because of their priestly powers. Priests have awesome awesome powers, because they spend so much time praying. Or something. So uh, find out how to get some of the priestly powers or something. Maybe take a priest back with you?"

Sephiroth glanced up at the idiotic ruler from the map he was viewing. "Your highness? Keystone isn't part of your land. We can't just order them to lend us a priest,"

"Then invade it or tell them to pay taxes or something!" The obese man snapped. "Now, go!"

With much jostling, they were escorted out the door by a disgruntled pageboy.

Sephiroth sighed once again. "Zack, go organize for our chocobos to be saddled. We leave at dawn."

"His second-in-command nodded. "Yeah, but what about the army? Are we taking any backup?"

"I think the two most powerful men in the world can convince some musty priests to lend us a brother," He replied with a hint of amusement.

"Oh Sephiroth," Scarlet, temporarily forgotten, smiled up at him. "Could you test this out for me?" She flicked something large at him from a pocket located Gaia-knows-where in her skimpy dress.

Sephiroth plucked the item out the air and then hissed, flinging it away again. Zack quickly caught it as Sephiroth looked down at his hands just in time to see charred flesh before it healed over.

"Purified in holy water, made of blessed metal and fires bullets of garlic extract encased in metal. (Don't ask me where I got it, please) It's the _perfect_" She purred the word out, "Weapon against Vampires."

Sephiroth glowered at her for a few seconds before she took on a more serious tone.

"No really, I'll leave a bag of goodies for you in the stables. Prototypes straight out of the development room. And Sephiroth," She sighed, "Make sure you kill Hojo. What he did to you isn't exactly a secret- but you deserve your revenge." She calmly turned and walked off.

Zack whistled. "Wow, the bitch actually has a soul!"

"Hm" Sephiroth murmured.

**+PAGEBREAK.PROBABALLYTHEONLYONETHISCHAPTER+**

Sephiroth was for all intents and purposes, a Vampire. But luckily enough his flesh could tolerate vitamin D, so he didn't burn to a crisp at the first sign of sunlight. This was indeed a blessing, as it would be unfortunate if the general of the royal army could only go out at night.

It was a pity that his vampiric qualities did not grant him immunity to Zack, the man mused, eyeing his chattering friend. Zack was riding his chocobo next to him (Obviously, as it was only the two of them), had been talking constantly since they set out half an hour ago. In that time he had covered the subjects of gardening, whetstones, cricket, building fences, Duke Palmer's addiction to lard, and how phallic bananas are.

Sephiroth sighed. It was going to be a looong trip.

**+I LIED+**

About four-and-a-half hour later, Sephiroth was mentally celebrating the fact that Zack _finally_ had to shut up.

They took the chocobos up through the relaxed town centre up the temple, where Sephiroth explained who he was and asked if it was possible to talk to the head priest.

They were ushered inside where a wizened old man with more wrinkles than pages in a book greeted them warmly. "You two are in the royal army? When no doubt you came to meet our spectacular guard! We're the only town able to hold our own against the fiends you know..." The old man blathered, leading them through the complex.

Sephiroth recalled hearing something about a guard from his King. _'I guess we'll just go along with the old man for now' _

Stopping in front of a nondescript door, the priest ushered over a boy running past. "I want you to go down to the kitchens... dinner for our _esteemed guests_... of the royal army!" He was muttering. Guessing themselves forgotten (strangely enough, as they were 'esteemed guests') Sephiroth opened the door and they stepped inside. The room itself was a small, almost-dingy thing adorned with a stuffed bookshelf and several armchairs, two of which were occupied. Curled up in the closest chair, facing away from them, a blonde teen with wild hair was pouring over a gigantic book in his lap. As they watched, he read out "Arr kethlon ney sera teren... kethlon qua regorath," only to be corrected by the older man in a chair turned towards the window directly opposite the door. "Roll the 'r' a bit more on 'Regorath'. It's a very guttural language. But you got the spacing right." He told the boy in a velvety voice. Neither seemed aware of their audience, too absorbed in the books, as the blonde repeated the line and his companion congratulated him.

The serenity in the room was shattered however, as the priest returned to the room with two slightly younger priests (that looked strangely like farmers' boys) flanking him.

"Ah sirs..." the priest stopped short, staring in horror at the books the two were reading. The strangers, whose heads had snapped up at the man's voice, were staring back with a similar horror.

"You dare. That you dare." The old man muttered, looking flabbergasted. Then he seized a book off a nearby pile and brandished it at the men. "That you _dare_!" he hollered, hitting the blonde with all his (unimpressive) strength. The boy seemed reluctant to hurt the man, and so just withstanded the assault.

"Wha-" Zack made to stop the priest, but the other two blocked his way.

"The boy studies forbidden magicks. He deserves his punishment," the more weedy one said in an almost nasally voice as the other one leapt into the fray.

"Punishment?" Zack echoed, and he shivered slightly at a foreboding feeling.

"Death."

_Ah. _

Letting his mind work on autopilot, Zack punched the man in the face with a sickening _thud_. In front of him the second 'bodyguard' priest slipped a dagger into the blonde's gut at the same time as Sephiroth and the black-haired stranger moved with unnatural speed to knock out the attacker. The black-haired man twisted, blood-red cloak flapping in the wind like ragged crimson wings, to leap at the elderly priest.

"_Demon_! I knew you were!" The old man screamed, face contorted in horror. Remembering his mission, Sephiroth pulled the two apart, but not before getting a glimpse of the black-haired man's eyes which were a startling red and contained a murderous glint.

"Head priest, this is hardly the way to entertain a guest from King Shinra!" He claimed angrily after murmuring that maybe the man should tend to his friend.

The priest was instantly sorry, and much to Sephiroth's disgust he begged for the silver haired man's forgiveness with a chant of "Forgive my disgusting behavior..." However, what interested him were the strangers- he could see Zack and the other man help up the blonde from where he was lying on the floor, and into a chair. They ripped off his shirt to reveal a red wound marring the finely-muscled torso. Sephiroth's mind almost whirred with possibilities. These two were obviously strong, and now they were not welcome here... And if they were studying 'forbidden magicks' then they'd already know any 'priestly powers', wouldn't they? (And indeed, as he watched the older man discretely create a green nexus around the wound, quickly dissolving into a thin green mist that appeared to heal the blonde's wound)

Blocking the priest's annoying cries out, he strode the short distance over to the congregation on the floor. "Do you wish to leave here?" He asked the man now bandaging the blonde, who looked up at him with piercing blue eyes.

"Yes," The older stranger replied without hesitation.

"Then you will travel with us," He stated, and the man looked down to meet the eyes of the blonde then nodded.

_It is settled then. We have our priests._

_...No matter that neither of them look like priests, but at least they're not wrinkled old men._

"Head Priest" Sephiroth addressed the old man, noting with satisfaction that the previous conversation had not been overheard.

"General Sir, I am _deeply_ sorry-"

"It is not your fault. These men are sinners and obviously possessed by some hellspawn. I will take them out of the town and execute them as is my duty."

The man's face brightened with glee, and Zack felt sickened at the expression.

"Zack, take these fiends to their quarters and make them gather their belongings,"

The priest looked at him questioningly.

"To burn," He reassured the man, discretely nudging one of the unconscious men with a boot-tip. "And now, I believe you promised us a meal?"

**+END CHAPTER TWO+**

AAnd that's chapter two. Yeah. I hope you few readers are happy, I've been totally putting of an assignment to do this. ...you know something's wrong when your fic (and this is my secondary fic, for now) is more important to you than your English assignment. (It's on The no.1 Ladies' detective agency. Anyone here read that book? It's frigging horrible.)

Oh well.

So I thought I'd just elaborate on the various things that are incorporated into/ inspirations for this story. Uh okay, the anime Saiyuki, FFVII obviously- though I haven't worked out which 'sector' of the king's land each 'duke/duchess' (read:ex-employee of Shinra for those that haven't figured it out), Various vampire stories (cheap and tacky I know...), The book Twilight and the sequel, although I'm not the greatest fan my best friend is so obviously I don't get much of a choice. Van Helsing and Constantine are both GREAT movies, and very vampirey/supernaturally.

Okay for those that have watched Saiyuki/Monkey/Any other adaptation of the 'journey to the east' story, here's the basic 'placements' of the characters.

Cloud is most obviously Sanzo, Being the blonde priest. Oh, that's Tripitaka for those in the Monkey know-how. Why Cloud? I always love the idea of him being a bit more spiritual (Cloud-is-a-Cetra fics make me happy :D), and uh... I think Sanzo is hot. I think Cloud is hot. ...now imagine Cloud in Sanzo's clothes. With his gun. It's like uh, priestly Turk Cloud?

Vincent, being Cloud's 'pet', is Goku. (Monkey). I know it's horribly unfitting, but he's the most demon-ish demon. And that's where I wanted Vincent- protecting/being a friend to Cloud. I think the two get on well.

Zack is Gojyo (The kappa waterspirit Sandy), and I think this fits well. They're both woman-lovers and very ...bright. And Zack was a SOLDIER in FFVII, so he's _kinda_ got that half-demon thing going on.

So Sephiroth is Hakkai (Pigsy) , which is _sorta_ fitting. I mean, if Saiyuki turned pigsy into gentle, kind, meek Hakkai then I'm allowed to turn Hakkai into silent and murderous, right...? ...no? uh.

Well, yeah. And if you find the characterization of 'King' Shinra a little off, well he was DEAD in the game (Go seph!). I wasn't sure if he should be smart (You'd have to be to organize Shinra, right?) or dumb (I hate him. Therefore he is dumb. Oh and Jen0va99 writes him as dumb in a crackfic but still and she is normally pretty spot-on with these things.

**So yeah, I own nothing but YOU will own my eternal gratefulness and a satisfied feeling if you review. Cos seriously, MESA LOVE REVIEW. ...Every time your review, Sephiroth and Cloud have sex? And every time you don't review, Sephiroth bonks Aeris (I could never find logic in that pairing, but then again SephXCloud doesn't make much more sense) and Cloud gets molested by Tifa and her enormous watermelons.**


	3. Flaming Weapons are badass

"So you're a priest? I like your pretty rockin' outfit there, kid," Zack idly said, glancing down at the blonde walking beside his chocobo. No matter how you look at it, there was no way the four of them could ride the two chocobos, not with three fully-grown adults and a teen well on the way. So the 'prisoners' were being escorted on foot, or at least until someone walking got tired.

_Speaking of prisoners…_ Sephiroth glanced back at the town, ignoring his subordinate's idle chatter. As soon as they were out of sight of the town they would build the bonfire that was meant to be Cloud and Vincent's dead bodies returning to the planet, and more importantly, eat something a little more filling than the 'cultured' disgusting hors d'oeuvres the head priest had forced on him whilst waiting for his companions. In fact they had foregone dinner there entirely, preferring to have less time spent in the company of the vile man as possible, and instead they had a lot of normal, and therefore edible, food from the town.

Sephiroth glanced back at Cloud, who was fending the black-haired soldier off his cream-and-black robes, seeing fitted black pants underneath for a split second in which his companion had seized a handful of robe, Vincent watching calmly- _and I am going to find out what's going on with these two newcomers. There's just something_ strange_… _

--

Zack tore obligingly into a cold leg of chicken, sighing contentedly. "Odin, but it's nice to have something in my stomach again," he said, then glanced worriedly up at the blonde priest. "Crap! I mean, uh, sorry for using your- our… um. Sorry for uttering a god's name in vain. He'll forgive me, right?"

Cloud glanced at him. "…It's only a name, you know." He said, making a strange face a second later when both dark-haired males glanced at him. "I mean, I'd be honoured if I had people on the physical plane who deemed me worthy to mention, in times of happiness." Zack stared at him, idly noting the warning glance Vincent shot the boy.

Sephiroth stood, striding over to him. "Stand up," he told Cloud. The blonde stood, glancing up at him. "You're not a proper priest, are you?"

The teen averted his eyes. "I'm not a priest…" he whispered, and after a pause, "I'm a ward of the church, and the closest they had to a town militia. That's all,"

Zack swore loudly, standing up. "Well, back to that town then, to find a proper, magicked-up priest." He said. Sephiroth shared his feelings of annoyance, and that these two, who were intelligent and not shrivelled up old men (and most of all for Sephiroth understood the meaning of _quiet_, unlike some people he could think of) couldn't help them.

"You wish for a priest who can command magicks?" Vincent's crisp voice interrupted them. He shot the two a calm stare. "You won't find one there. All you'll find is old men quoting crumbling books, without fully grasping what they preach. Their unwillingness to get involved with anything that involves exerting themselves lead them to abhorring use of magicks. Why do you think the high priest was so angry at our use of such? He hates us, and was scared we would use this unknown power against him." Cloud glanced at his elder, who had snapped his mouth shut after what was a lot to say for him, and continued,

"So, if you want someone who can command magicks, we're the only ones in that village who can help you,"

"The whole of Gaia, perhaps," Sephiroth said, then in response to their inquisitive looks, "We were sent here on command of the King. This is the only place we believe people still have knowledge of magicks. That you understand and use these powers is very fortunate for us, it seems."

"I, well," Cloud fidgeted. "We don't really know them too _well_- I mean no one could teach us so we had to teach ourselves."

"You did what? How?" Zack squawked, jostling against his leader to get closer to the blonde. "Did you just pray a lot and then it came to you in a flash of blu-"

"Books," interjected Vincent. "We discovered forgotten tomes packed in the lower levels of the temple, and it wasn't a feat to-"

"And you left them back there?" Sephiroth's gaze met the pale man's, who held it with a calm strength.

"No, we brought them," Cloud patted the thick leather satchel he was leaning against in indication. "It may not look like it could fit it all, but this bag seems to be enchanted to hold more than it should. We actually found the books in there in the first place, and, once we learnt how, strengthened it with our own spells... Vincent and I have also packed spare clothes and other such things in here." he explained.

"That's certainly very helpful," The silver-haired man said, ignoring Zack gleefully unpacking the two's possessions and suppressing his similar desire to investigate the magickal artefact. "So, I suppose I should explain to you why it is the king required someone with use of magick,"

-

He had told them about the traitor- Lord Hojo, and the King's farfetched idea that there must be something special in Keystone that prevented it from being destroyed by the traitor's creatures, when in fact it was just Cloud and Vincent being competent and level-headed against some aggressive beasts.

"It seems a bit half-baked though," Cloud whispered to himself, idly stroking the soft plumes of the chocobo he was seated on. The large gold was plodding along contentedly, leaving the blonde to his thoughts. _So this Hojo man, he's the one creating the monsters. How do_ _you _create_ monsters? Magick? And from the tone of their voices, I'd say they didn't trust this man in the first place. So why did the king leave it until he had revolted to do anything about him? Was he _that crucial_ to the empire that the king didn't risk annoying him, or was the king simply a dullard?_

"Ware!" Sephiroth's voice cut smoothly through his thoughts. Cloud looked up in time to see some type of Marlboro gambolling towards them. Before he or anything could move a muscle, though, the General had drawn his amazingly long blade and, running up to the creature, cut through the creature in an amazingly fluid and streamlined move.

"Wow…" he breathed. Zack, who was strolling along next to his chocobo, looked up at him and grinned.

"Good, isn't he?"

"That's amazing," Cloud concurred.

"That's why he's the General," the soldier grinned. Cloud smiled back, then frowned when the man took his eyes off him. _But that's not… that's not natural, is it? Normal people can't do that, no matter how much training… No, there's definitely something unnatural about that man,_ he decided.

--

The trip back to Midgar had taken two days, since Sephiroth and Zack could not maintain the speed at which they travelled previously, also the chocobos could not carry all four at once, and they were forced to take a ship across the ocean instead of sprinting across on the golden birds. However, no-one was complaining, and the boat trip found Vincent on the balcony, next to the slightly tipsy Zack. Cloud, who had abandoned his robes and was wearing the simple shirt and pants he normally wore under his attire, was inside the cabin, teaching the silver-haired man some basic magicks at his request. Vincent's eyes wandered back to the man next to him, even though his mind was still inside that cabin. Zack, who was now idly staring at the shining tip of the gold saucer, seemed to be quite normal. But the older man, inside… he was something different. He had noticed it before Cloud, ever perceptive, had mentioned it to him and it worried him.

"…Hey." He laid a hand on the drunken Zack's shoulder, and the man slowly spun around to grin at him.

"..Oh hey… um… Vinny." Zack patted his back in response. "I really like you, you know? You seem pretty… pretty awesome. Let's be friends, okay? Good friends."

"Good friends," Vincent agreed. "Listen, Zack, can you tell me about your friend? Sephiroth."

Zack attempted to wave his hand at him, but mostly just hit Vincent. "Heeeey…" he drawled, "Sephy's my good, _gooood_ friend, so don't you go bein' mean to him, phssskay? It's uhm… _bias_, and stuffs like that. It's _mean_!" Vincent blinked at him, noting the Gonagan drawl in the man's words.

"So there is something different about him? What is it?"

"…T's the hair, man, the hair. Have you seen it? It's _gray_…"

Vincent barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

--

They walked off the boat early Tuesday afternoon. Well, to say walked was is a bit misleading. Cloud, who had suffered a bout of seasickness close to the end of the boat ride, was supported by Vincent, and between Vincent and Sephiroth was Zack, still thoroughly drunk. The most amusing thing about the whole situation, in Vincent's eyes, was the resignedness with which Sephiroth addressed Zack's actions, clearly signaling this was a regular occurrence of the man's.

They were quickly bundled into a chocobo-lead carriage, and soon found themselves in the castle's elegant courtyard. However, it seemed the guards, for some reason, refused their procession entrance. Whilst Cloud gaped openly at the lavish decorations and lush, imported plants that housed rare, exotic creatures, Sephiroth was getting very, very angry.

"I'm the General. Of. The. Army. I _demand_ entrance!" he was growling at a troubled guard, whose eyes kept darting towards the heavy doors and back again.

Just as he was about to unleash another tirade upon the poor, shaking soldier the gates opened and a woman slipped through. A very familiar blonde woman, in a red cocktail dress.

"Scarlett!"

The woman pushed past the pale guard, and drew herself up to her full height in front of the General.

"General Sephiroth of the Shinra Army," she began formally, "It is my duty to inform you, as a ...functioning member of the Shinra kingdom, that our king has been assassinated."

Everyone stared at her in the dead of silence, which was punctured only by the guard fainting.

--

02/10/2007 10:45 PM Greenwich mean time +8 hours.

Right new chapter for you all. The next chapter won't be for six weeks, since I have exams. So, yeah.

I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter, I'm sorry it was short, but please review still! You guys know how much I like reviews!


	4. SHOPPING SPREE!

Keystone chapter 3

_**Notes: I wrote up a plan. This fic no longer follows saiyuki, for it dances to the madness in my mind. heheh...**_

The huddle of four stood in the middle of the large, lavish courtyard- Cloud apprehensive and Vincent defensive as the other two watched the frantic milling of the confused locals. Twice a guard ran up to them and attempted to arrest them, Sephiroth simply pointed out himself as General- 'You did train in my squadron, Lovett', and they dismissed themselves sheepishly.

"What's going to happen now?" Cloud gasped out, watching the blonde lady now being supported by Zack. "Now that the King's dead- may he Rest in Peace- what are we meant to do?"

Sephiroth stood motionless for a few seconds, eyes on the spire he knew was now concealing the castle's priests about to start blessing and cleaning the body. A laborious and disgusting job, especially when the man in question is well larger than 'merrily fat'.

Zack started as he picked up on what his commander was thinking. "Oh, right, he never really did anything in the first place, did he?"

Cloud stared back. "W… what?"

"So," Sephiroth said softly, rich voice commanding attention, "Our goal is to find the assassin's clie-"

"Hojo!" Zack barked out unabashedly.

Sephiroth tilted his head in the man's direction, ignoring the confused (and slightly scared) Cloud and motionless Vincent right next to them. "I concur..."

"So that the empire's rulerless," Zack continued.

"Rufus," murmured Sephiroth-

"For the sake of the argument, let's ignore his existence for a second" Zack persevered, grinning.

"We're assuming Hojo killed King Shinra- May he Rest in Peace- for one of two reasons." Sephiroth said, addressing the group. "One, to stop the imminent attack on him-"

"And two-" butted in Zack.

"To attempt control of our Empire."

Zack paled, ever so slightly. "Craphats."

Cloud, leaning against Vincent, whispered, "So… what am I here for?"

"This is a valuable learning experience," Vincent replied soberly. He hadn't been back to this city for years, and his was experiencing a touch of nostalgia.

"What am I learning, that everything goes to crap really, really easily?"

A hint of a smile tinged Vincent's lips, hidden under his cloak. "And that people with high authority will often displace people, for a reason that is later nullified, it seems."

"Hey!" Zack objected. "Don't make us out like we're …bad guys!"

"It's true, though," Sephiroth solemnly intoned. "I do so apologize for it."

Cloud stared at him for a second. "…Uh… thanks- but seriously, what do I do now?"

Zack grinned at him, all former worries lost. "Aw, C'mon kid-"

"Don't call me kid!"

"We're in the hub of the land! The center of excitement! This is where it's all happening! This is where all the important people live! This is the life!"

"It is really big here-" Cloud agreed hesitantly.

"Go get wasted and get yourself laid!" the dark-haired soldier finished.

"What!"

"He's a priest," Sephiroth said, and Zack idly noted his General had only really reacted to the last part.

Vincent, normally still, nudged Cloud in a vaguely accusatory way.

"Uh… not rreally…." Cloud murmured, sheepish.

"Oh!" Zack said. "We've already been over this, haven't we?"

"Yyep…"

"As it is," Sephiroth interjected, "I do not intent to abandon the two of you after being the catalyst of your sudden upheaval"

"I wouldn't 'o let you chuck 'em out anyways!" Zack valiantly said.

"Not the point, Zack." His commander argued. Zack pouted.

"The point is?" he said.

"That until we get things sorted, you two are free to wander around the city for as long as you like," he finished, noting how Cloud brightened up at that.

"A generous offer," Vincent spoke at last, "But may I seek to stretch your generosity a step further?"

"Huh?" Zack said, intelligently.

"You may recall- In Keystone, the main form of goods exchange was trading. Money itself is virtually nil there. As is such, I have none, as does Cloud." He finished, looking apologetic and more than a spot embarrassed.

Cloud, however, just blinked up at him. "They use money here?"

"Think about it, Cloud." Vincent told his ward. "It's easier than carrying around carrots, and a mite more accurate."

"I-" Zack spluttered. "You people _do_ that?"

"Don't they still trade in Gonaga, Zack?" Sephiroth interjected.

"Shut up!" Zack bristled. "Besides, we use money for most stuff!"

"Ignoring my irate companion for a second," Sephiroth sighed, "I think this problem is easily solved."

"Shopping Spree!" Zack squealed suddenly, drawing a confused gaze from Cloud.

"You're coming with me, Zack, remember?" his commander sighed out.

"…oh."

--

Chapter 4 end. Are you reading this? Go read Mix instead. I put more effort into that fic. Moore eefort. Review if you want. I'd like that.


	5. Important note of doom

Good evening ladies and gentlemen! It's your host, Scarletthuntress. Or Rafira. Either way.

Now, you might have noticed that this fic of mine hasn't been updated in quite a while. I'm truly sorry about that, but I guess you could say I simply lost interest.

It's been a while now, but I've still got the notes on how I intended to continue and finish this fic. I'd be happy to do so, but first I thought I'd consult with you.

Firstly, I wanted to make sure there were people here who were still interested in reading the ending of this fic. I left both of my ongoing fics, and when I updated the other one after nearly a year, hardly anyone read it, because they'd simply forgotten what was going on and lost interest. Fair enough, reading back over the previous chapters I would have probably lost interest too. You can tell by the start date that I wrote this fic a very long time ago, when I was nearly a completely different person.

So if there's anyone out there: would you like for me to continue this fic? Or are you happy enough for it to sink to the bottom of FFnet forever? Please let me know!

Hugs and kisses, Rafi.

(screw the no authors notes rule, amirite?)


	6. Back into the swing of things

_8/9/09_

_....you people are all crazy. Okay, let's see if we can do this. I'd also like to rewrite some of the previous chapters, but considering how I'm doing this instead of the assignment due in three days, that might have to come a little later. For now, have some fic. And thanks for all your words of encouragement and approval for wanting more of this fic, so please enjoy this chapter :D_

Keystone! Chapter: I don't remember.

Vincent looked down at his glowing protégé. Sephiroth and Zack's arrival seemed to be one of the best things to ever happen to Cloud. Leaving the town that loathed him and going to the most diverse and accepting city on the planet, along with meeting two people that respected him and liked him had done wonders for the previously somber blonde's outlook on life.

Cloud looked around excitedly, taking in the city around him. Everything was so exiting- so different from Keystone! In the shops Cloud had seen clothes that he couldn't even imagine someone like Zack wearing, and Vincent had helped him pick out some simple garments. Vincent bought a small baked pastry off a street vendor and handed it to the awed blonde, ignoring a gaggle of women staring at them. Ever since Cloud had found him and showed him compassion despite the fact that no-one in his town could reciprocate, Vincent had decided to look after the small blonde. Cloud was his family, Vincent decided, leading Cloud back to where they were to meet with the others.

--

Sephiroth watched Zack chatter with Cloud on the lounge in his quarters wearily, fearing the overactive Soldier would coerce the positively glowing blonde into doing something stupid. His thoughts were so preoccupied that Sephiroth started slightly as he realized that Vincent was silently standing next to his chair. Looking up into the man's red eyes, Sephiroth recalled that Vincent was very close to Cloud, and might find something to object to in the way he was looking at the younger man.

Sephiroth coughed. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I was thinking that we should discuss our actions," Vincent replied, his voice rich and deep.

"Ah, you refer to how we should proceed? ...I agree. Zack! Cloud! A moment?"

Their two companions wandered over and Sephiroth explained what they wanted to do.

"That's a good point," Zack said, scratching his head. "What are we going to do, anyway? Now that the King's dead..."

"Is there a heir to the throne?" Vincent asked, as Cloud took in the conversation with wide eyes.

"Yes..." Sephiroth deliberated for a moment. "Prince Rufus is more than capable, I think... there is not much we can do. And the royal guard, the Turks, they have always favoured him, so he will be well protected..."

"But what do we do?" Cloud asked suddenly, flicking a glance at Vincent. "Here we are in Midgar after travelling across the sea under the orders of a King who is now dead... should Vincent and I just go back to Keystone?"

"Is that an option?" Sephiroth asked him, watching the blonde's brows furrow.

"...not really. They made it quite clear we were not welcome, after all... with wanting us dead and all that...." Cloud's voice trailed off.

"Then we're in charge, I guess!" Zack said cheerily. "So you guys gotta help us find Hojo and-"

"Wait!" Sephiroth barked. "We're finding Hojo? Why is that down to us?"

"We were sent to get the magics to defeat him, right? Seph, don't you remember that passage one of the Turks gave us?"

Sephiroth was too distracted to object to the nickname. "You don't mean-!" he rose to his feet suddenly, and strode across the room to rifle in the bookshelf.

"The King may have been incompetent," Zack said happily, wiggling his toes, "But the Turks managed to find us something to aid us. Us SOLDIERS have a strange relationship with the Turks, you see!"

"I must congratulate you, Zack, upon once again disproving the theory that you are simply dumb muscle," Sephiroth said, scouring the parchment in his hands.

"Everyone forgets," Zack snickered. "Now, read it out already!"

"Ah- yes." Sephiroth muttered, finding the right place. "Here it is- It's a rough translation from runic, so it's a little confusing- Along with the magics of the earth lies the shadow of corruption- those that draw upon the dark of CALAMITY face destruction from those that rise up accept darkness wield the lodestone to unlock the power to destroy the CALAMITY before the balance is broken. Accept the ULTIMATE magics until your heart"

"....what?" Cloud muttered. "That.... did that make sense to anyone?"

"Not really," Zack frowned. "It sounded like gibberish. That's funny, I thought it made more sense before..."

Vincent frowned and leaned back. "Well, it does mention the powerful Magics that the King mentioned, correct? ...is that an appropriate starting point?"

Sephiroth contemplated that. "....perhaps. I suggest we seek an audience with the Prince at this point, to make sure that his goals correlate with ours."

--

Several hours later, the party exited the castle. It was a combination of sheer luck, tenacity and a small amount of pulling rank to be granted an audience with the quickly-appointed King, who was more than happy to allow them to seek the thing that could allow them to destroy Hojo, even if he made it clear he didn't approve of his late fathers' aims.

Cloud gave the ornate castle one last longing glance before being dragged off. They had to get back to Sephiroth's quarters and rest and pack before departing in a few days.

--

_CLANG!_

"H-hah!" Cloud breathed jerkily, half falling against a tree. Sephiroth quickly grabbed him and pulled him upright again, and Cloud felt embarrassed by the way he could feel the other man's fingers slip slightly on his sweaty forearm.

They'd spent the morning training, and Sephiroth had expressed pleasure over how fast Cloud was learning and how willing he seemed to learn more.

"You're getting better, Cloud," Sephiroth murmured, looking down and the way Cloud's face was flushed with extertion and the tangle of his fine hair.

"Ah- thank you, Sephiroth, for all your help," Cloud replied breathlessly, looking up slightly at Sephiroth and smiling.

"It's my pleas-"

"HEY GUYS!" they both jerked up at Zack's shout, and as he approached he was surprised to see looks of disappointment flicker on both the males faces.

--

_Better than my previous chapters, huh? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. In between assignments (Uni is busy atm) I will try to get more done. In between chapters you can hit me up at rafira dot livejournal dot com if you have an lj feel free to add me! :D have a nice September!_


	7. A lot of conversing

_A/N: hum dee dumm dee darr. I hunger, someone fax me chocolate! Also, I am going to be completely busy for the next month or so. _

Keystone chp. 7, the one where stuff happens. (11 oct 09)

--

Vincent's softly glowing eyes tracked Zack as the other man walked back into the campsite. Zack wilted slightly under Vincent's demonic gaze, flopping onto a log by the ashen remains of the campfire.

"I... I found Seph and Cloud," he sighed.

Noting the look on Zack's face, Vincent ventured, "You would have not, by any chance, encountered them in a compromising position, would you?"

"It could have easily been one..." Zack sighed. "This situation, it's..."

Vincent nodded. "It seems... I have been forced to accept that Cloud has a certain amount of romantic interest invested in Sephiroth."

"And Seph's definitely interested too- Cloud's good for him," Zack finished. "Um.... are you okay with this, Vincent? I mean, I know you and Cloud are close..."

"For the longest time, Cloud was the only element in my life which mattered, and I was the only one in that cursed town who actually respected Cloud. He's... he's a bit like a son, to me. Until you two came to the village, Cloud was very unhappy. But the emergence of these two new people that treated him like a human, joked with him and wanted to be friends with him- he's like an almost entirely different person. I've never seen Cloud this happy. So if someone is to steal his heart, then I think I am comfortable with Sephiroth doing it. He... he makes Cloud happy, and that's what matters."

Blinking slightly at what might have been the most Zack had heard the man speak, he added "Well- I know Seph, and I can tell that he basically adores Clo-"

"But if he hurts Cloud," Vincent interrupted , "I will kill him."

"Uh..."

Zack fidgeted a little in the tense silence.

"Want to... play a card game?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow at him.

"...Ever played fifty-two pickup?"

--

Cloud dodged a claw, scooting backwards a little. He felt incredibly overwhelmed- he'd helped kill monsters whilst guarding Keystone, but these were full-fledged beasts! And he didn't think they were entirely natural either, if their feverish eyes and the bile constantly dripping from their mouths were any signal.

He aimed a swing at a nearby tail, ducking yet another claw as the creature tried to attack him. He lifted the sword up to block, but instead just held it there dumbly as Sephiroth came out of nowhere and beheaded the creature. He gave Cloud the barest hint of a smile and a quick once-over with his eyes before disappearing to tackle the next beast. Cloud watched him in awe. Sephiroth moved with an amazing grace and struck like lightning. He looked at Zack, who twirled around his massive steel blade like it was nothing, and then at Vincent who shot his handgun at lightning speed, not a single bullet missing.

_They... they're not human_, Cloud thought to himself. His insides chilled for a moment, looking at the monsters then his companions. Then an image of the villagers of Keystone came to mind, jeering and tormenting. He was lucky to survive that long in the village, Cloud considered, thinking of the all the lynchings he had witnessed over the years. Then he looked again at his companions- strong fighters and compassionate people that cared for _him_, useless outcast Cloud. He knew which ones were more human in his eyes.

--

"Cloud," Vincent murmured, looking at him with an unreadable expression. They were alone, Sephiroth and Zack were making sure tonight's campsite was secure whilst the two of them laid a fire.

"Is there something you wanted, Vincent?" Cloud asked, with a niggling feeling that he knew what was coming.

"About Sephiroth and Zack-"

"And... and you too, right Vincent?" Cloud finished softly, looking up into his longtime friend's deep red eyes.

"Yes..." he confirmed, trailing off.

"What... what that scientist, Hojo, did to you and Sephiroth and Zack.... and the Imperial Soldiers I saw in the city, them too.... their eyes glow." Cloud edged forward slightly, resting his hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Vincent, what was Hojo trying to do? What did he get right, with the Soldiers?"

Stunned for a moment by Cloud's perception, Vincent found it hard to continue. "He... I believe he was trying to create a new, better breed of human. I... I was a failure in that experiment. Zack and those Soldiers are where he was victorious, I believe, in creating stronger humans."

"And Sephiroth?" Cloud breathed out.

"Sephiroth... he's something different. Something more like me than you. Something that belongs in myth, not in this world."

"But he- but he's here, Vin. And I lo- I l-like him a l-lot, and I know he's – you guys are all so much more human than the people in Keystone- you- you're my lives, you guys- and-"

Cloud was shaking, nearly crying, and Vincent folded him into his arms, feeling the fine tremors running through Cloud's tense shoulders.

"Ssh... sssh. Everything's going to be alright, Cloud." Vincent murmured. " We might not be human, but-"

"Who cares about what 'human' means!" Cloud shouted with a sob, into Vincent's shoulder. "It's not a-about what you're made up of, or who your parents are, or what colour your hair is, it's about what's on the inside. We're- we're all the same," he finished, whispering.

With a start, Vincent realized that it was possible that Cloud was one of the only blondes amongst the original occupants of Keystone. He rubbed Cloud's back soothingly. "Truer words were never said, Cloud."

--

Leaning against a tree a few metres from the campsite, Zack glanced up at Sephiroth. They'd heard the whole conversation thanks to their unnatural hearing, and now Sephiroth was staring into the distance with what was a mix of confusion and perhaps hope in there. Zack smiled to himself. He was right when he'd told Vincent that Cloud was good for Sephiroth, he mused.


	8. Cuddlywuddly

_Am not dead, just sewing frantically and hanging with friends and working a lot. However! I never forget about fic. I am like an elephant. A sexy one. Rawr. (Not that elephants say rawr.)_

_--_

The autumn chill raised goosebumps on Cloud's arms, and the sudden shiver that overtook him reminded him briefly of another place, another time, before Keystone- a flurry of white, a wolf's howl, a harsh place where he lived with a woman, warm and caring, who would love him unconditionally. But that was a time long gone, and instead he found himself sitting in front of the gently crackling fire, in the company of the strongest man in the world.

Vincent had dragged the other SOLDIER off to teach him the art of hunting (and shouldn't he know what already, wondered Cloud. He could catch and butcher many small animals and even larger game, but Zack, who wasn't raised in the city, who was a deadly swordsman, couldn't?), which left Sephiroth as Cloud's only companion. However, he was at ease with the man's presence, as silent as the conversation might be. He leaned back so he could look up at the man sitting next to him. Somehow Zack had managed to maneuver the group so that Sephiroth and Cloud were sitting closer than they usually would sit, and Cloud thanked Zack silently for the opportunity to study the strong lines of the other's face. Sephiroth looked away from the landscape he had been idly staring at to meet Cloud's gaze inquisitively. Cloud nearly flicked his eyes away in embarrassment but coughed lightly instead, tense under Sephiroth's intense gaze.

"It-" Cloud said hesitantly, somehow unwilling to break the silence. "It's been nice, this whole thing. Travelling, the four of us. It's like an adventure." A shy smile flickered on his face.

"It's going to get dangerous, Cloud," Sephiroth told him seriously. "Are you okay with that?"

"I'm okay," Cloud smiled wider. "I'm okay, no matter how scary it gets."

Sephiroth looked down at him intently, and Cloud was suddenly hyper-aware of the warmth coming off the other man, the distance their knees rested from each other, the fact that the air he was breathing was being breathed in by Sephiroth. He felt his cheeks heat up.

"Are you?" Sephiroth asked.

"I-" Cloud hesitated before reaching out, meeting him half-way. Their mouths touched clumsily, a few hesitant kisses before tongues touched, sliding against each other in a way that was foreign to Cloud. He shuddered, clinging to the other man as Sephiroth pulled him closer, a hand dancing up his spine. Cloud reached a hand up to stroke against Sephiroth's luxurious hair, lowering his hands until they rested on the older man's shoulders.

After what seemed an eternity Sephiroth pulled away slightly, unwilling to let go of Cloud completely.

"I- I'm sorry, Cloud." Sephiroth said, and to Cloud's surprise he seemed embarrassed. "That was uncalled for,"

"No... uh, I liked it," Cloud admitted wryly, and taking sudden initiative leaned up for a second kiss, pressing his lips against Sephiroth's. After a few moments they again drew apart.

"Ah, I'm sorry Cloud- It's quite forward of me to initiate such a thing with you. As much as I desire a relationship with you, the age difference between us something that most people would consider quite unacceptable..."

"Huh?" Cloud said, completely confused.

"You're what... two thirds my age?"

Cloud looked at him even more confused. "In Keystone, a lot of men around the age of fifty had wives my age, or often younger,"

Sephiroth reeled back slightly, a look of disgust on his face. "Urgh!"

"I guess it is a tad nasty..." Cloud contemplated.

"So is it okay then, Cloud? You do not have any qualms about my physical age?"

"I want to be with you," Cloud smiled up at him. "I don't think you're old at all, anyway. ....Even if you do have silver hair," he stuck his tongue out at the man, and it took a lot of Sephiroth's willpower to not lean into the temptation but instead act indignant at Cloud's crack at him.

"It's silver! Silver!"

"Whatever, old man," Cloud snickered.

"Brat," Sephiroth growled playfully, seizing Cloud and reeling him in.

---

Zack grinned from his position half crouching and half sprawling behind the bushes. "D'aww, look at that, Vincey! My little boy!"

Vincent ignored him, glaring instead at Sephiroth's hand slowly but steadfastly inching toward Cloud's butt.

Zack's eyebrows raised as he saw what the older man was looking at. "Well, I guess your Cloudie's a little grown up, too."

"....Cloud has always been mature for his age," Vincent told him seriously, but they both meant he didn't mean in the sense that Cloud was currently exploring.

"Well, he seems like a very down-to-earth guy..... anyways, maybe we should come back later?"

"Indeed," Vincent replied, leading the way.

--

Their journey went on steadily, the beasts that were attacking them growing stronger by the day. Despite that, they still easily pushed through, and Cloud and Sephiroth managed to see each other in the quiet times when they made camp. In one such moment, Cloud leaned back after running his tongue over Sephiroth's teeth to repeat the motion with his finger.

"Those aren't normal teeth, Sephiroth," he remarked softly. He stroked down a particularly elongated canine, pressing his finger against the tapered tip. The sharp edge threatened to break his skin.

Sephiroth shuddered slightly. "Cloud, I'm...."

"Seph? I.... I love you, whatever you are."

"You love me."

Cloud didn't hesitate. "Yes,"

"... I think I love you too, Cloud."

He buried his face in Cloud's shoulder, sinking his fingers into the blonde's soft hair, taking in his warm scent.

"I'm a vampire, Cloud."

He felt the body in his arms nod minutely, but neither said anything.

The silence stretched on until Cloud finally said, "Would you be disturbed.... Seph...."

Sephiroth peered at him curiously.

"If I told you that I found that.... really sexy."

Sephiroth smiled into his shoulder.

"So, you knew already, I guess?"

"I already knew you were extra special, Seph," Cloud whispered.

Sephiroth didn't know he could smile that much, but just held on tight.

--

_Lots of shameless fluff :P. It makes me feel happy! I hope that you guys enjoyed it, let me know if you did! Let me know if you didn't, and why!_

_Stuff happens next chapter! I was supposed to update before Christmas but then I had a lot of work! I hope everyone had a happy holidays! Sorry that I suck at updating! Exclamation exclamation exclamation mark! Happy new year, love always, Rafira. You can catch me on my lj like usual, under Rafira._


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